How to Tie the 10 Most Useful Knots

(Page 4 of 4)

May/June 1979
By the Mother Earth News editors 
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Counting from the top downward, the loops of a correct hitch are tied in this order: 3, 4, 1, 2 ... that is, the top was the third to be tied, the second from the top was the last to be tied, etc.

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In the complete knot, the leading end should remain sticking out 10 inches or so and should have a figure-eight knot tied to its end to prevent it from accidentally slipping through the loop of the taut-line hitch, should that knot ever become loose.

[10] SHEEPSHANK: This is a specialpurpose knot that's useful when you have too much rope to conveniently handle a specific job but don't want to cut your valuable line.

To make the sheepshank, lay two long bights (in the standing part) side-by-side like a wide letter S, then secure both loops with half hitches. This knot can also be used to bypass an area in a rope that's been weakened by excessive chafing. You can just shake the knot loose when the strain is released.

There are any number of other knots you'll find just as useful as our "10 best" ... so don't stop once you've mastered these few starters. You can, for example, get into such colorful specialties as the fisherman's bend, cow hitch, surgeon's knot, wagoner's hitch, packer's knot, man-harness knot, fireman's-chair knot, scaffold hitch, barrel knot, and the boatswain's hitch.

So, get yourself a hunk of rope ... and knots to you!

Also check out The Forgotten Zeppelin Knot.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Instructions for the taut-line hitch were adapted-with the publisher's permission-from the book Tree Care by J.M. Haller (copyright ©1977 by Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc., Indianapolis , Indiana).
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Comments

  • Skip 5/21/2007 9:22:19 AM

    I think you should have included the Trucker's Hitch right after
    the Square Knot as it is one of the more useful knots in securing a
    load or tightening up a tent-line etc. that I know. I used it every
    two or three days when I lived on my boat to secure tarps against
    the wind and my dinghy to the deck. The best part of it is that it
    is not only secure against motion and vibration but that it is easy
    to tie and untie.

  • paul 5/13/2007 12:52:43 PM

    1 length of rope over a branch, tie a bowline through a harness
    leaving along tail then tie a BLAKE HITCH over the standing rope. A
    friction hitch ascender with only one rope!!

  • Brian 5/11/2007 12:41:33 PM

    With just a cursory glance I noticed two errors regarding these
    knots. First the two free ends of the sheet bend should emerge on
    the same side of the knot. The knot, as it is tied in the photo, is
    known as a left-handed sheet bend as is not as strong. Second,
    while the knot described as the taughtline may be perfectly well
    suited to the use as described, it is not a taughtline as
    recognized by the majority of knot tying sites on the web. A true
    taughtlin has only one loop (loop 3 in the photo) above the first
    two. Lastly, it should be mentioned that a reef (or square) knot
    should never be used to join two ropes if the rope will be
    subjected to any significant load. It is a binding knot, not a
    bend.

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